Scalding apparatus for tomato-peeling machines



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ALFRED I. DU roNr, or WILMINGTON, DELAVJARE, AND HIRAi/In. HARDING, or

I BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO rANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A oonronArIoNor DELAWARE.

SCALDING APPARATUG FOR TOMATO QPEELING IVIACHINES.

Application filed January 25, 1922. Serial No. 531,740.

Maryland, citizens of the United States,

have invented certain new and useful 1m provements in Scalding Apparatus for Tolowing is a specification. I

Ourinvention relates to an apparatus for scalding fruits and vegetables preparatory to the skinning operation and is especially adapted for machines which skin, slice and the type covered bv U. S.

L Patent No. 1,423,421 dated July 18, 1922.

The object of the present invention is to increase the etlicienoy ofthe scalding opera tion, to conserve the heat sup-ply and to ap ply the steam more effectively to the inclividual tomatoes. Our invention will be understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 1- illustrate in longitudinal section a complete tomato peeling machine embodying our present improved scalder designated by the letter B, and also the initial washing scalding and feeding apparatus A and skinning and coring apparatus C;

Figures 2 and 2 are enlarged views, which taken together illustrate the scalder in longitudinal section Figures 3 and 3 are top plan views of Figs. 2 and 2 respectively And Figure & is a transverse sectional view on the line l4l of Fig. 1.

The entire machine isadapted to carry on the several operations in continuous succession. The fruit is carried from one apparatus to the next by the endless conveyor 2, which passes over the drums 3 and 4; at either end.

The apparatus A for initially washing, heating or partially scalding and automatically placing the tomatoes stems upward upon the meshes of the conveyor belt in alignment in a series of. parallel rows is described and claimed in our co-pending application vSerial No; 531,498 filed-lanuary 24., 1922. The tomatoes or other fruitare thus conveyed in an orderly manner into the steam scalding apparatus B. This apparamato-Peeling Machines, of which the fol.

core tomatoesby a continuous operation of tus. is encased in a housing or hood of sheet metal plates suitablysupported and braced by angle iron frame members 10, the wholebeing carried by the uprights or standards I 12 of the machine frame; The bottom, sides andtop' are lagged with sheets of asbestos to retain the heat. The top plates are separately bolted so that they may bereadily removed-when it is desired to secure access to theinterior of'the scalder. The end plates 15 and 16 are spaced slightly apart to per mit the passage fruit carried thereon. Steam exhaust Vents or stacks 17, 17 are inserted in the top plates at intermediate points at equal distances from the ends. The steam supply pipe 20 I connect-s centrally with two manifolds 23, '24 extendinglongitudinally within the housing upon opposite sides and respectively above and below the conveyor belt. A series of horizontal distributing jet or spraying pipes 25 and 26 extend across the' housing fromthese manifolds, the corresponding upper and lower'pipes of each set being in vertical alignment and provided with oppo- I sitely disposed openings so that a jet of steam is projected simultaneously upon each tomato from above and below. The outer ends of the branch pipes 25 and 26 preferably extend through the wall of the housing and are capped.

The steam is supplied to the manifolds at say lbs. pressure, but by reason of the large number of jet openings there is sub, stantially no steam pressure in the housing.

For the purpose of causing the steam within the housing to move in opposite directions toward the exhaust stacks 17, 17 we produce a fluid injector action at each end of the housing. Directly in front of the entrance opening and outside of the housing a pipe 30 supplies steam to transverse pipes 31 and 32 arranged above and below the conveyor belt and provided with obliquely arranged openings whirh project steam jets at convergingangles into the entrance opening of the housing. This: results in an injector of the conveyor belt and the CLEAN, FOOD 'PACKING- MACHINE COIlL V subjected to the chilling action of the cold At the discharge end of the scalder a pipe 36 supplies water to a pair of pipes 37, 38

located outside of the housing and which are provided with apertures which direct jets of water-converging at the discharge opening. These converging jets of water also produce an injector action to draw in air and direct it inwardly along with the mist or fine spray which induces currents in the steam or vapor in the direction of the steam exhaust stack 17. The steam or vapor within the housing is thus constantly discharged through the exhaust stacks and none of it escapes through the end openings. In addi tion tothe chilling action produced by the' sprays from thepipes 37 andv38 we further. chill the tomatoes by. oppositely directed water jets from pipes 39 and 40 which are also supplied from the pipe 36. As is well known, the pulp and skins of the tomatoes are expanded while they are subjected to the intense heat of the steam bath in passing through the scalder and when they are then housing provided with entrance and exit openings in the end walls and exhaust vents in its top wall, a conveyor belt movable therethrough, steam supply manifolds located within the housing upon either side thereof and positioned respectit ely above and below the conveyor, branch pipes: extending from the manifolds transversely across the chamber of the housing, said pipes being arranged in vertically alined pairs above and below the conveyor and having openings to direct steam jets upon the fruit in transit, and current creating means at said entrance and exit openings to cause the steam to flow inwardly from said openings toward said exhaust vents. V v

2. In apparatus as set forth in claim 1, means external to the housing for producing a fluid injector action at the mouth of the entrance and exit openings to thereby cause the steam or vapor within the housing to flow toward the exhaust vents.

3; In apparatus as set forth in claim 1, means for causing the steam or vapor within the housing to move inwardly from the end openings toward the exhaust vents, comprising palrs of pipes located exteriorly at each end of the housing and provided with jet openings adapted to project converging sprays of steam and water into the entrance and exit openings respectively.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ALFRED I. DU PON T. HIRAM R. HARDING. 

